Daveboone

Sounds familiar! Renailing the steps every year, balancing on a 2x4 for hours on end, Shivering in my cotton long underwear under two pairs of too tight blue jeans, wearing dads threadbare buffalo plad jacket... You saw more shotguns and sporterized military rifles than production hunting rifles. Mausers, Enfields, Springfields, Carcanos, ...Mausers were considered the cream of the crop. Hell, I still hunt with and love mine, which was my dads. Granted, it evolved from the Herters stocked open sighted otherwise bare bones military rifle, to a synthetic stocked, scoped and tuned trigger modern rifle it is now....in the original awesome 8 mm Mauser. We considered it a good year if we SAW a deer. When I shot my first buck, everyone I knew came for days to check it out (it was a beauty of a north country 10 pt).

My cameras were showing almost exclusively late night activity, except for with changing weather. I made a point of getting out in the worst weather as well as when it broke, and consistently saw more deer this year than I had the last few.

Where i hunt ...in the woods, it is unusual to have shots longer than 75 yards. I rarely take a shot that far, and shoot strictly open sights so I am dead on at 75. Sight your gun at expected ranges, then take a few shots at half that distance so you know what it does. Regardless what a lot of folks think , even with the new powders, modern black powders and projectiles still have a trajectory like a rainbow compared to modern cartridges. Dont worry about the legendary 200 yard shots you hear bragged about. Sight for where you are hunting. And I certainly hunt differently with my ML than I do with centerfire....pickier on shots, closer, etc.

Sorry, no pics available, but I greatly miss my Llewellyn setter. We chased pheasants and grouse for fun, but what a nose! She was certainly better at the game than I was, but we had tons of fun training, raising pheasants for training, etc. Great dog, but as soon as she was outside, no matter where or when...she was hunting and gone! It was amazing when we were at the camp, upon arrival she was out hunting. She would dissappear for what seemed like the whole day, but was never far off. As soon as I stepped into the woods she was right there with me.

In the early eighties we eagerly awaited the prehunting season Kmart ads. Your choice Federal, Winchester or Remington deer slugs two bucks a box, A box of field loads (25 rds) of 12 gausge for 3.97. Winchester 94s or Marlin 336 for under two hundred dollars! Locally Kmart or Sears was the main go to for working man hunting stuff, but even drug stores or hardware stores fequently would have basic 12 gauge rounds or the most popular rifle rounds. My first shotgun was a 25.00 bolt action JC Higgins bolt action 12 gauge with a 36 inch barrel! Duty for everything from squirrel, grouse, deer...

I wish we had the late ML season where I am at (east of Lake Ontario Tug Hill.). I love hunting the late season, but the deer yard up to consistently and they would be slaughtered there that late. I cant complain though, I made meat with my Lyman GPR during the early northern tier ML season, and bucked out during regular season.

I am lucky that I have a camp an hour away that is my base for almost all my hunting. I treasure my two weeks off I take during hunting season, and plan on being up there for most of those weeks. That said, I may not be there the entire time, closely watching the weather for best conditions, etc. I tend to go every chance I can, getting home commitments/projects done before those times. I have though, many times passed on deer because I either just didnt feel like shooting, or timing would have been difficult to get it taken care of. That aside, on more than one occasion I have woken in the morning to hear the wind a howling and sleet/snow/rain beating on the roof, and happily rolling back over for some more sleep.

About twenty five years ago, I hunted with a friend in Georgia for a couple weeks. It cost me 200.oo to join his hunt club (500 acres with permanent stands, most of the time we were the only ones there) and about seventy for my license, which was good for five deer...only two of which could be bucks. At the time I thought it was a bargain. I got three deer...but was very surprised how small they were, A full grown buck was about the size of a first year fawn here.

I didnt hear anything saturday a.m. until 7:15 or so, and it was off in the distance to the east, but hunting season has been open since mid october where I am at.

My philosophy is hunting time is limited, and there arent any deer in the cabin. I have taken some of my best deer in the most miserable conditions. I have to admit I love to hunt the slop. That said, I do not go out with high winds ...risk of falling branches, etc. I wont say I enjoy goint out in the crappy stuff, but you do what you have to do. That said, I would much rather hunt the calm right after the storm.

Avoid cotton anything like the plague. I have a big mix ,most of it pot luck. I like my Bass Pro cold weather long johns as a base, heavy marino socks. I have a couple of fleece sweat pants and shirts worn next, and a pair of heavy stretch fleece next for pants, with my goretex bib over. A heavy fleece sweater on top. I dearly love my Woolrich parka, but if it is really wet/windy, I have a goretex parka on top. Pain in the but when I have to pee..... boots, the best I ever had was a pair of 2000 ml/wt or whatever rubber packs for warmth, but be sure to change your socks frequently...even wool gets damp from moisture, and that is what cools you. When we dip around 20 degrees or lower, I put toe warmers in, a larger disposable warmer or two in my chest pockets, and a third in a handwarmer muff. Dont forget the head...I am partial to the Stormy Kromer (sic?) hats with a balaclava over, tucked into my parka and over the head with the hat on still. Stoke the furnace before you go out....big breakfast to feed the fire.

Yep, despite having gotten tips from a professional, you really need to just do it...alot. I found that partially freezing the quarters makes the meat much easier to handle, separate and slice like I want. Dont freeze until it is solid, just firming up good.

I dont see it mentioned specifically, but I am guessing you are bow hunting? If so, you are being a damn fine disciplined hunter by not taking shots you dont think you should take ...for that matter, the same goes for xbow or firearm. There are plenty of hunters who let fly at every observed deer, and the woods are full of wounded critters to show for it. You are seeing deer, so I am not going to tell you to do anything differently. I gave up bow hunting many years ago, after hunting with some success. Simply put, I couldnt put the time in to be as proficient as I wanted. I went more heavily into black powder which I love. Similar concept, but a bit more forgiving.

I totally agree with what has already been said about powder vs pellets. Also, I got much more consistent accuracy with heavier projectiles...My groups shrunk by half when I went from 245 gr. power belts to 295...I am sure it is due to the longer length, providing more stablity. I would recommend trying the same move. (heavier /longer projectile, with powder).

experienced hunter who can pick his shots...ok. If the firearm might be used for anything bigger than white tail...much better choices. It doesnt have mass for heavy penetration or bone breaking.

Just look it up via the counties tax office. It would be close enought for a general idea. If you are checking out the property, the ownder should have a map and it would be surveyed at time of sale.

Breakfast is my favorite meal...when hunting, sometimes before, sometimes after the a.m. hunt. for me, it is going to include venison steaks (served RARE only, if you want them well done, dont show up) eggs, sausage/bacone from the local Mennonite market, french toast and perk coffee.

Wind aint happening without changes in barometric pressure. I think critters are aware on some level of dropping pressure, and are more active before fronts come in. Rising pressure after a change...not so much, but the critters are moving because the weather is better allowing it. As far as me hunting...I will try like heck to be out before and after a front, and will hunt in breezy conditions, but not once the trees start swaying and branches falling. I love to hunt the sloppy weather. It has treated me well over the years. As an aside...I certainly hunt according to the wind direction. There are times deer dont seem to catch me, but they have enough times that I plan around it.

We used to spend alot of time with our .22s wood chuck hunting, then in the fall squirrels. For many years my trusty Marlin 39 reigned supreme....its open sights were all I knew. As money flowed a bit more, I had a stable of semi .22s, all scoped. Marlins, Savage, Ruger, etc. Accuracy wise, they all were pretty even when scoped. I sight for 50 yards for head shots on squirrels, at 100 a wood chuck will get hit solid, but not much oomph left, even with the CCI mini mags which are all I shoot.

Grouse drumming, followed by the peep peep peep of a little flock of chicadees bobbing about nearby.

I carry a small 2 aa light, white. I know where I am going, and there will not be any other hunters in the area.I very seldom need it in the a.m., I have it more for if I shoot something at last light.

We have been down that....very nice. Might be low, be prepared to drag a bit.

they can be unfriendly.

We have gone up to the Moose River in past years for ML. Always enjoyed the time in the woods...productivity...eh. Where are you paddling in to? Due to poor planning, opening week end we are up to the 1000 Islands for a long week end fishing for the opener of ML, not a bad thing...but I have the rest of the week off following for hunting. I will be up to my camp on the Tug Hill for most of the duration. I am hoping to break in my flintlock this year.

Get some prussian blue...it is a machinists " paint", that is applied to one surface, to see where it is making contact with another. Apply it generously to the trigger/safety, and place into stock. Where it hits you need to shave/sand, etc. I used it when final fit bedding the flintlock I built last winter, and it was invaluably. Likely, you have a very large margin of error around the trigger and safety....that would be a non -=bedding area of the action. hack alot out, no damage done.